


Undone by the Blood

by RedFox13



Category: Bloodborne
Genre: Brador not being as asshat for five seconds, Ludwig singing, M/M, Mild Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Rubbish ahead, Short Story, beast Laurence, painful transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25789759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedFox13/pseuds/RedFox13
Summary: Laurence fights against the scourge.
Relationships: Laurence/Ludwig
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Undone by the Blood

"We are born of the Blood, made men by the Blood, undone by the Blood. Our eyes are yet to open."

"Fear the Old Blood."

The haunting words of Master Wilhelm echoed in the back of his mind. Such a blind fool he had been, he thought the blood was safe. That only the beast blood and the rotting filth of the Vilebloods were tainted. Now all these years later he finally understood the adage of his old mentor, and tragically too late.

Laurence barely had time to lock the heavy iron door of his cell before he was seized by another coughing fit. His breaths came in harsh, ragged gasps as his lungs struggled to function. The dull burning ache in his chest slowly began to spider outward into his limbs, his heart pounded loudly in his ears, nearly drowning out the muffled toll of the cathedral bells. Another hunt had begun, the moon would be full and bright as it lit the world in its cold radiance. The tainted blood in his veins began to boil in anticipation, the fire in his core began to burn hotter.

Laurence knew he was running out of time, any day now he could succumb to the scourge. And along with losing his humanity he would lose all he held dear. A sudden wave of pain rolled over him, he dropped to his knees as a pained groan escaped his lips. He took cold comfort in knowing that his cell was buried even deeper than Brador's. Should he finally fall to the scourge he would likely die down here in this cold, dark, cell. Every muscle in his body clenched in anticipation, a sickening crack was followed by a pained scream.

He chance a glimpse behind him to see the bones of his legs cracking and reforming. Long, black, claws tipped the end of each toe. With trembling hands he tried to work his way out of his clothing, he needed them intact in case he turned back. This wasn't the first time, in fact these temporary changes had been going on for a year. He would often black out or have hazy memories of the night.

Tossing his clothes into the corner he stumbled to his feet and tried to walk towards the worn out mattress against the wall. Sparks of pain suddenly erupted in his head as a pair of antlers broke through his skull. The wild scream that rang in his ears was barely human, making him wonder if it was really him that made it? His mind was falling into a hazy fog, his thoughts became strung out and unintelligible. As the scourge tightened its grip the last thing he remembered was his skin crawling with ants and the sweet taste of blood in his mouth.

.......................

Ludwig tiredly drug himself into the empty cathedral. His sword weighed heavily on his shoulders, he wished this night was over. Yet the moon hung high overhead in seemingly suspended animation. Whispers of a undying hunter were making their way through the bands of Church hunters. Ludwig didn't believe it, but he was glad the tales boosted their already low morale. Quietly he wished he could still draw on Gehrman's sage advice, but he had vanished on the first blood moon.

Willing himself to venture deeper into the cathedral he sought out the Vicar's office. He half expected to find his boyfriend working away with a mug of coffee in his hand, but instead he was greeted by a disorganized mess of papers. It looked as if he'd left suddenly, even the lantern on his desk was still burning. Reaching down he picked up one of his research papers and casually glanced over its contents. What he read made his blood turn to ice. Snatching the lantern he hurried out of the office and down below to the cathedral dungeon. He needed to find Laurence right away.

The dark, damp corridors snaked deep into the earth below the town. Here they once kept blood addled hunters, half turned beasts from Mensis, Vileblood fiends, and those deemed heretics to the Church. But now row upon row of cells sat dark and silent, their inhabitants having perished long ago. He searched every nook and cranny but found only dust and cobwebs. There was a set of stairs that led to the lowest level, but only the mad assassin lived there. As much as Ludwig hated the idea perhaps Brador might know where Laurence is.

....................  
"Tell me Good Hunter, do you hear the bell?" Brador's amused voice came from the other side of the wall. Ludwig heard nothing. "No." He replied. "Good, then I see no reason not to tell you. Laurence is in a hidden cell below us, the passage is in the false panel at the end of the hall." Brador replied.

Hurrying away Ludwig quickly found the hall that led to his cell. A long trip through a narrow corridor brought him to a heavy iron door, it was shut tight but not locked. Setting his weapon aside Ludwig pulled the door open and slipped inside before closing the door behind him. In the dim light he made out a shape in the corner. "Laurence?" Ludwig called softly. His heart sunk into his boots as a growl came in reply. A half turned cleric beast slunk towards him from the gloom. It's bloodied mouth was curled in a snarl revealing rows of fangs. It's wild brownish fur was damp with sweat, amidst its disheveled mane was a tiny set of antlers. It's claws clicked against the stone floor as it raised its head to sniff at the air.

"Laurence?" Ludwig whispered. The beast stared hard at him before recoiling into the corner. It's eyes were not yellowed, nor were the pupils collapsing. Instead they were bright and starry green, Ludwig knew those eyes anywhere. "God, it is you. I had hoped what I read in your office was wrong." As he took a step forward Laurence crammed himself into the far corner, his body trembled as he whimpered fearfully.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Ludwig said softly as he knelt on the floor. Even though he was a hunter he couldn't bring himself to hurt his loved ones. And Laurence was all he had. "Please don't be afraid. I swear I won't hurt you." Ludwig said. Laurence replied by curling up as small as he could, if he pressed any harder against the wall he would likely break a bone. Sighing deeply Ludwig wracked his brain for a way to calm Laurence down.

A wild idea came to him, Laurence loved music. So why not sing to him? Clearing his throat he took a deep breath and began to sing softly.

"Lacrimosa dies illa   
Qua resurget ex favilla   
Judicandus homo reus.   
Huic ergo parce, Deus,   
Pie Jesu, Domine!

Judicandus homo reus.   
Dona eis, requiem! Amen!   
Pie Jesu, Domine!"

Slowly Laurence uncurled himself and tilted his head at Ludwig. For a moment he almost sounded as if he were softly humming along with the melody. As he sung it again Laurence began to creep towards him, when he was close he began to sniff at his clothing. Gently reaching up Ludwig cupped his cheek, Laurence leaned into his touch with a contented sigh.

"You're going to be alright." He whispered. Laurence crawled into his lap and nudged against him before licking him across his cheek. Ludwig froze as the sudden gesture of affection, Laurence noticed and backed away, hanging his head and whining. "That was...unexpected. But better than being mauled." Ludwig said to himself. Spotting the mattress against the wall he stood and moved to lay down. Patting on the side of it Laurence came trotting over and climbed up, making several circles he curled himself up and laid his head against Ludwig's shoulder.

Ludwig reached over and gently stroked his head causing him to rumble softly. His fur was surprisingly soft and didn't smell like the other beasts, he was almost like a dog or a cat rather than a man eating fiend. Laurence's purring softly lulled him into a peaceful dream. Hours later he woke to find Laurence had returned to his human form, not wanting him to get a cold he slipped his coat off and draped it over his sleeping form. Rolling back over he closed his eyes again and decided to sleep until morning.

.....................

Laurence woke feeling oddly relaxed and warm. In the dark he saw a dim lantern sitting on the floor by the bed, he didn't bring that here! Rolling over he felt something covering him, sitting up he discovered Ludwig was next to him and had covered him with his coat. Laurence's heart started pounding frantically, how much did he know?

"Hmm? You're up already?" Ludwig blinked sleepily as he sat up. Right away he saw the panic in Laurence's face. Reaching over he pulled Laurence close and held him gently. "Before you say anything. I just want you to know that I'm still here for you, beast or not I love you and will always remain at your side." Ludwig said as he placed a tender kiss to his lips.

Laurence buried his face against his chest to hide his tears. Ludwig rubbed gentle circles into his back and hummed the song he had sung during the night. When he had finished crying he looked up at Ludwig, "I'm so sorry I kept this from you." His voice was a hoarse whisper.

"You had your reasons, but all that matters to me is that your safe." Ludwig replied. Up above the cathedral bells signaled it was morning. "Now, let's get you dressed and cleaned up. Later you can fill me in on your research." Ludwig said as he draped his coat over Laurence's shoulders.

**Author's Note:**

> The song Ludwig sings is Lala's lullaby from D.Grayman. It's based off an 18th century hymn.


End file.
